YouTube Grew Watch Time 60 Percent Year-Over-Year

YouTube Grew Watch Time 60 Percent Year-Over-Year

YouTube got a big shout-out during Google’s Q2 2015 earnings call Thursday, with Google’s new CFO Ruth Porat stating that the company has seen “significant growth in YouTube revenues” in the last quarter.

What’s more, the YouTube-owned video service also seems to be growing eyeballs, despite increased competition from Facebook. “Growth in watch time on YouTube has accelerated,” said Porat, adding that global watch time is up 60 percent year-over-year, with mobile watch time more than double from what it was a year ago.

Porat’s remarks got seconded by Google’s chief business officer Omid Kordestani, who called YouTube’s watch time growth “the fastest we’ve seen in a couple of years”. A year ago, YouTube’s watch time had accelerated by 50 percent year-over-year, according to a Google spokesperson.

Kordestani also said that the average mobile viewing session on YouTube now lasts more than 40 minutes, and added that mobile viewing alone attracts more 18-49 year-olds in the U.S. than any cable network. The number of channels than earn a six-figure income on YouTube is up 50 percent year-over-year, according to Kordestani.

Google announced this new data as it posted better-than-expected results for Q2. Google generated consolidated revenues of $17.7 billion billion in Q2 of 2015, compared to $15.96 billion during the same quarter last year. The company was able to generate $3.93 billion GAAP-adjusted income, compared to $3.47 billion a year ago. Google shares spiked as much as 8 percent in after-hours trading after the release of these results.